If you’ve ever experienced kidney stones, or you are experiencing them for the first time, you know how excruciating they can be. Perhaps you’re not sure if you’ve had them before but recall experiencing some mild or even serious discomfort during urination, a dull ache or sharp pain in your lower back, side or groin area. Maybe you’ve gone to the bathroom and were shocked, even scared to see blood in your urine, especially when you’re in so much pain. What’s wrong? These are all common symptoms and signs of kidney stones, also known as renal stone disease.
The US National Institute of Health estimates that 1 in 10 people develop kidney stones at some point in their life. Researchers at the USNIH have found that those who live near large bodies of water (the Great Lakes, the Gulf of Mexico, etc.) are more likely to develop kidney stones, as well as those who live in “soft” water areas (where water contains low levels of calcium, magnesium and other minerals). Also, people who come from a family with a history of renal stone disease are more likely to develop stones because certain genetic conditions that promote stone development can be inherited from parents.
Kidney stones occur most often in people aged 30-45, though they can occur in men and women of all ages, and their frequency and possibility for occurrence decreases after 50. Certain types of stones are more common in men and other types of stones are more common in women. The agonizing pain of passing a kidney stone for a man has often been compared to the pain of childbirth—ouch!
Kidney stones develop for several reasons and it is usually a combination of these that make them most likely to occur. Your kidneys play a key role in keeping you healthy. They filter your blood, taking out the waste and adding it to your urine to be expelled from your body. They regulate electrolyte and pH balance in your body, as well as blood pressure by expelling fluid from your body. Stones can form due to a chemical imbalance (too much or too few of certain minerals), a pH imbalance (to much acidity or too alkaline), and dehydration, Several other medical conditions sometime lead to stones such as a congenital kidney defect, chronic diarrhea, arthritis and urinary tract infection.
